Bad blogger penance

So...since I know I have been a bad blogger lately, I promise to get a ton of photos updated soon. Watch for those.

Life

Being a family of 5 doesn't come without a few hitches in the system. I have found that balancing time with kids, time at work, time with friends, time with spouse, time with me, and time with God to be quite challenging. I keep trying to remind myself to live in the moment and to try and enjoy the life in front of me, even if it is a challenge. People often laugh when I tell them that we have 3 kids three and under. It is usually followed by " you must have your hands full." Although this statement may be true, every minute of it is a blessing. To have three healthy, funny, sweet, loving, energetic, and brilliant (mama's bias) children is a true miracle. I see every day how fragile life is. Especially how fragile a young life is.

So...where was I going. Oh....as I was saying. I have come to the realization that finding this perfect balance between all my roles just isn't going to happen. And you know...I am ok with that. I will take what life brings me and I will cherish the blessings of each day. I will embrace the chaos of my life right now because there isn't anywhere else I would want to be. I will work to voice my thanks to God and my love to my family. I think that is the best anyone can do.

Time to catch up

Well...maybe not catch up, but try and be more diligent about writing updates. Blogging is really tough for me because I don't have as much free time as I used to. The Luedtke house is doing well. Reese turned 3 in May, Leah turned 2 in June, and Keegan is already 5 months old. Where does the time go?? We have really been enjoying Eau Claire this summer. The Farmer's Market is one of our favorite places to go. We are also regulars on Thursday night for "Music in the Park". The kids really enjoy all the festivities and they get to run around and jump off big rocks.

We have two couple friends who are going through the adoption process and we are really excited for them. Please keep Josh, Mindy, Aly, and Jon in your prayers as they continue their wait for their children. Hard to believe, but if we want to adopt again we will have to start the process over again....and soon.

For now....I promise to try and be better at this, but don't expect too much too soon. Have a great night everyone. I am off to share some wine and conversation with my husband.

Where did November Go??

Wow.....not totally sure what happened to November....or most of December for that matter. Life in the Luedtke house has not slowed down....although things have started to even out a little. Leah has come such a long ways in the past two months. Things were pretty emotional the first 2-3 weeks, but since then, she has become even more confident and comfortable. Her and Reese are starting to interact more and more every day. They will even spend some time just sitting together doing a puzzle, playing on the slide, or building with blocks. They also enjoy teasing each other, wrestling, and reading books together. It is so much fun to watch them together. Definitely just the beginning of a great sister relationship.

Thanksgiving was great this year. Kris and Tim were up and it was great to have some time to catch up. It was their first time meeting Leah since we brought her home in October. The girls loved having so many people around to play with them, especially because Christmas came early this year. Kris and Tim wanted to give the girls their gifts early.....so we had a lot of fun with some new toys.

Other than that....things just keep plugging away. Getting ready for baby boy. It is still kind of hard to believe that we are going to have another one coming soon, but my stomach is evidence enough that he is coming.

Enjoy the photos....I will try to keep them coming.

Request for Prayers

We learned this morning that my uncle Mike has gone missing on Lake Mille Lacs. He went up there to go fishing. Mike is an avid fisherman, and loves being on the water. His boat was found washed up on shore by someone, but Mike was no where to be seen. Some of my family is up there today to search for him, but things aren't looking good. Please send prayers of strength for my aunt Carol and her and Mike's children during this very scary time. If Mike is out there, please pray for his safe return to our family.

God Bless,
Brooke

Curious George??

Well....once we found out we were having a boy, we knew it was time to decide on a name. Reese was more than willing to loan us her input. When we asked her what she thought we should name her knew brother, she immediately said "Curious George". Why on earth she would pick that......could not tell you. Trust me....the baby will not be names Curious George, but Reese is enjoying calling him that for the time being.

Leah continues to amaze us with how well she is doing. Every day she seems to adjust a little more and handle everything that comes her way a little better. We are finally getting the bedtime thing. She does a lot better when it comes to naps and bedtime. She is also getting pretty good at soothing herself back to sleep at night, which is great for Ryan and I as well. She is still eating great. Reese is also getting better with her. They actually play pretty well together, and Reese really loves giving her hugs and kisses.

Other than that, nothing too exciting. We continue to adjust to a life with two toddlers, but it hasn't been nearly as difficult as we prepared ourselves for. I'm sure baby #3 will make it a whole new ball game, so we are just going to enjoy this time while it lasts. Only 18 weeks left until our next life changing event.

God Bless.

IT'S A BOY!!!

As most of you know....we are expecting baby #3 March 2009. We had our 21 week ultrasound today and found out that baby #3 is going to be a boy. He looks great and is growing quite well. Not too big, not too small....he is right in the middle. It will definitely be an adjustment for us having a little boy in the house, but thankfully our nephews have given us a little practice. Reese and Leah were pretty amazed by the ultrasound. Reese really liked hearing the heart beat. The doctor said to just keep doing what I have been doing. The girls had a great day today. They played a lot at the doctors office together, which is pretty huge. It seems every day they get more and more comfortable as sisters. They are also finding that they like to make each other laugh and be silly together, which is pretty fun to watch. I have added a few pictures of them playing around the yard. They love to play in the leaves and be outside.